Singing In The Rain
by CSI1983
Summary: A vicious killer has escaped from prison, wanting revenge on the CSI's that put him there.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N - I know that this is a slow chapter but I wanted it be that way. I needed to establish the connection between Danny and Lindsay before I did anything else. Enjoy my first ever CSI:NY fanfic. Believe me, you don't want to miss what I have planned!_

Singing In The Rain

Chapter One – Birthday Girl

When Lindsay woke up, Danny wasn't there. He didn't leave a note or anything but he had laid out breakfast for her on the table. She smiled and nibbled the still warm waffles. She felt more relaxed then she had in weeks. They had busted open a huge case and to celebrate, Danny had stayed over and they had watched a whole bunch of movies until they couldn't keep their eyes open. She had fallen asleep on the sofa and Danny must have carried her into the room because when she woke up again she was wrapped up in her blankets, Danny sleeping soundly beside her. She was just contemplating having a shower when her door swung open and Danny walked in.

"Good morning"

He laid a quick kiss on her cheek as she frowned at him.

"Where did you go?"

Danny took a seat next to her and gave her a half smile.

"You know how last year I stuffed up on your birthday?"

"Yeah"

"Well, this year it's going to be different."

"Danny, my birthday was last week. We went to dinner, remember?"

He shook his head, his smile getting wider.

"That wasn't the present. I spent a whole year planning this."

"What is it?"

"Not telling. But you need to be ready in the next twenty minutes."

"I was just thinking about having a shower."

"You had one when we got home last night. Don't worry about it, just put some clothes on"

"What kind of clothes? Fancy or casual?"

"Casual. Go get changed Montana"

She smiled at him and headed to her room, pulling on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. She paused for a moment before pulling on her sneakers and running a brush through her hair. When she went back into the kitchen, the dishes had been done and Danny was standing at the front door, tapping his foot and looking at his watch.

"Ready"

Danny shook his head, pulling a long piece of cloth from his pocket.

"Not yet we're not. I'm kidnapping you"

She allowed him to put the material over her eyes, her curiosity almost getting the better of her.

"Danny, if you tell me where we are going I will so make it worth your while"

She felt him move closer, his breath still minty from toothpaste.

"I'm not telling you Montana. Relax and trust me"

He took her hand, holding it in his and led her out the door. She heard him turn the lock before allowing herself to be lead outside and into the hot morning sun. She heard him open the car door and she felt her way into the seat. He carefully closed the door after her before getting into the drivers side.

"Now Montana, we are in for a long ride."

"Where are we going?"

"For once, would you stop asking questions? Just enjoy the ride ok?"

"Yes Boss."

He kissed the top of her head and started the car.

* * *

They drove for over an hour by Lindsay's count. Danny had put on a CD so there was no way for her to tell exactly what time it was. She noticed that the sounds of the city had more then faded and that the roads were a little bumpier then normal. She could hear loose stones hitting the bottom of the car. Another twenty minutes later, Danny stopped the car.

"Ok, we're here."

He gently undid the blindfold and it took a few minutes for her eyes to adjust to the bright sunlight. When she did, she realized why it was such a long drive out. Her ears hadn't deceived her at all; they were indeed out of the city. Lots of trees, long green grass and the smell of hay greeted her when she opened the window.

"It's beautiful out here. It reminds me of Montana"

"That's the point."

"Thank you for this Danny"

She leaned forward and kissed him. She leaned her head against his, enjoying the quiet. After a few minutes, Danny spoke again.

"This isn't your present before you keep thanking me"

"It isn't?"

"Nope."

He started the car up again and slowly made his way up a very long twisted drive. Lindsay noticed a large red sign hanging from a worn looking fence. She smiled widely at Danny.

"We're going horse riding"

He just shrugged and parked the car. Lindsay got out of the car and took a deep breath, closing her eyes. It felt like it had been forever since she had left Montana and her family behind. She only opened her eyes again when she heard footsteps on the gravel behind her. When she turned, an older looking woman with long blonde hair was shaking hands with Danny.

"Danny, how are you?"

"Good thanks Michelle. This is Lindsay"

Michelle smiled widely at her.

"I have heard all about you"  
Lindsay gave Danny a look before shaking the woman's hand.

"All good I hope"

"Certainly was"

Danny clapped his hands slightly and gave Michelle a wide smile.

"Is she ready?"

"More then ready"

Michelle began walking from the direction she had come from, Lindsay only moving when Danny took her hand. She heard the nickering of horses long before she saw their elegant heads bowing from the top of their stable doors. She paused for a moment to stroke the closest one, a tall stallion that sniffed her hand. Michelle smiled at her.

"His name is Fire"

"He's beautiful"

"We rescued him three years ago near starvation"

Lindsay leaned over the stable door for a closer look and was amazed at what she saw. They had done a fantastic job with him and it was hard to believe that he had once been nothing more then skin and bone. Danny cleared his throat, bouncing slightly from foot to foot.

"Come on ladies."

Michelle led the way again until they were right at the end of the barn.

"Lindsay, I want you to meet Firefly"

Firefly was a tall mare, Lindsay guessed her to be about two, with a star over her big brown eyes. Michelle opened the stable door and Lindsay moved inside, Firefly snickering at her. She extended a hand and Firefly sniffed it before pressing her face into Lindsay's palm. Michelle stood beside her, stroking Firefly's side.

"She's Fire's daughter."

"What kind of condition was she in when you rescued her?"

"She was a foal so her condition was far worse then her father's. She was pretty much on death's door. Her mother had passed about a week before hand and little Firefly here was standing over her when we found them."

Lindsay pressed her face into the mare's neck, breathing in the scent of her coat. Danny moved closer to the two woman, tapping Lindsay on the shoulder.

"Do you like her?"

Lindsay looked at Firefly, the big horse looked at her and Lindsay found herself smiling. Firefly reminded her of a horse that she had growing up.

"She's beautiful"

"I'm glad you like her. She's yours. Happy birthday Lindsay"

Lindsay smiled at Danny.

"Yeah right. I live in the city. Where am I going to put her? In the lab?"

Danny shook his head.

"I got it all organized with Michelle. Firefly will board here. The funny part is that her rent here is cheaper then at either of our apartments."

Lindsay looked at Danny and then at Michelle, not quite grasping what they were telling her.

"You're not kidding? You got me a horse for my birthday?"

"As I said before, happy birthday"

Lindsay threw herself into Danny's arms, hugging him tightly.

"Thank you Danny. You have no idea what this means to me"

"Yeah I do. I know how much you miss home so I thought that I would bring a little bit of it to you"

Lindsay kissed him, truly amazed at the man that held her so tightly. Danny never failed to surprise her. A thought came to her and she pulled away to look him in the eye.

"How can you afford this?"

Danny shrugged.

"It's not a big deal Linds. Don't worry about it"

"But I do"

"And that's part of your problem. Enjoy your gift."

Lindsay turned back to Firefly, who was nudging her with her nose. Lindsay stroked her head, speaking softly.

"You and I are going to be great friends, aren't we?"

Firefly nickered softly, leaning into Lindsay's touch.

"For a horse that had been so severely abused, she's incredibly friendly."

"So is her father. I guess these two are the rare few that make it relatively unscathed."

Lindsay slowly circled Firefly, remembering everything her father had ever taught her about horses. Firefly was in great condition. Lindsay was almost deaf to the conversation going on between Michelle and Danny; she was too busy examining every inch of the mare.

"Hey Linds?"

"Hmm?"

"Wanna take her for a test drive?"

She nodded and Danny pulled back some blankets that were sitting on some hay bales in the corner of the stable. Beneath it was a shiny new saddle, bridle and blanket. Lindsay moved closer, running her hands over the new leather.

"You spoil me Danny Messer"

"I like nothing more then spoiling you. Do you wanna teach me how to get this gear on?"

* * *

Twenty minutes later they were on their way, Danny riding Fire and Lindsay riding Firefly. The sun beat down on them, the smell of hay and fresh grass attacking their senses. It had been far too long since Lindsay had felt this close to her old life in Montana.

"Hey Danny?"

"Yeah?"

"Race ya!"

Lindsay clicked her tongue and gently urged Firefly into a gallop, not looking back until she had reached an old, beaten looking oak tree. She was already off Firefly and sitting down by the time Danny caught up with her. He winced as he slipped off Fire.

"That was not fun"

"You're just no used to it city boy"

Danny offered her a small smile before taking off the back pack that he had on. He said nothing as he laid out a blanket and began placing cartons of food down on top of it. It was only when he sat down beside her that he spoke again.

"We have strawberries, champagne, brie, French stick and chocolate"

"Wow. You really did have this planned, didn't you?"

"Oh and before I forget"

He carefully extracted two large carrots from the bag, handing one to Lindsay.

"We can't forget out four legged friends now, can we?"

After feeding the horses, Danny and Lindsay ate their lunch in silence, watching the sun fade into the clouds that signaled the passing morning.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two – Witching Hour

Mac was fairly certain that he was the last to know about this situation. Stella had finally told him after he pressed for information and he quickly learnt that the rest of the lab knew the truth but nobody knew how to tell him. He wasn't angry; he just wished that someone had told him so that this little issue could have been avoided. He also wished that he wasn't so stuck in his own little world. He knew that he could have figured this out for himself if he had tried but he hadn't and that annoyed him more then anything else. Stella had pointed that out to him again and again; he just wished that he would learn to listen to her when it came to things in this area. He called Danny in first. Danny walked in, figuring it was to do with the current case, not knowing what the real issue was that faced Mac now.

"You called boss?"

Mac nodded towards the seat and Danny took it. Mac waited a few seconds trying to find the right words before finally speaking. He was not very good at this.

"How long have you and Lindsay been seeing each other?"

Danny blinked.

"Almost a year now. I thought we had been doing a pretty good job at keeping it quiet."

"Not really. Turns out I'm the only one who didn't realize. Stella let slip, she figured I would have known something was going on"

"You didn't?"

"Nope."

"Oh."

Mac took a seat across from Danny.

"I want to remind you of our policy on dating here in the lab"

"Mac, this is not-"

"I know this is not some fling Danny and I respect that. But you need to understand that this is my lab. Anything that goes wrong in here is my responsibility."

"I do Mac, I know that. Lindsay and I have been keeping up our guards; we are doing everything by the book."

"My worry Danny is that your concern for Lindsay may overshadow your duties as a CSI"

"Nothing would overshadow my duties here."

"What happens if I send you and Lindsay to a crime scene and it's dangerous? Who am I going to get, Danny the CSI or Danny the boyfriend?"

Danny leant forward, frowning slightly.

"We are talking about the same woman here right? Lindsay who happily tackles a man twice her size without thinking? The same one who got excited when she shot a bow and arrow? Someone like that hardly needs my protection"

Mac shrugged slightly.

"Good point"

"And you can't tell me that if push came to shove you wouldn't protect Stella."

Mac nodded.

"I'm not going to push this Danny but I am going to talk to Lindsay. I'm doing this to protect you as well as myself."

"And I understand completely"

The serious side of business now over, Mac asked another question, something that Stella had mentioned that had perked his curiosity.

"So, how did Lindsay's birthday surprise go?"

"Oh she loved it."

"What did you get her? Stella said I had to ask you, she said that I would never believe her."

Danny smiled widely.

"I bought Lindsay a horse."

"A horse?"

"Yup. She's called Firefly and to quote Lindsay, she's perfect."

Mac shook his head.

"Stella was right"

"What?"

"I never would have believed her if she had told me"

* * *

Judging by her face when she walked in, Danny hadn't said anything to Lindsay. She had had a grin plastered on her face all day and it was less annoying now that Mac knew why it was there to start with.

"I wanted to ask you a question Lindsay"

"About what?"

"Your relationship with Danny"

The look of happiness evaporated and a deep blush took its place.

"Mac….I don't know what to say"

"Just promise me that this won't affect your job here"

"That will never happen"

"Ok then. I hear that Danny go you a horse?"

"Yeah he did. When did you talk to him?"

"A couple of hours ago. I asked him not to tell you"

"Oh"

Desperate to break this somewhat awkward situation that he was in no way used to, he offered them both a way out.

"Do you have any pictures of Firefly? Danny said that you used at least two films on her and her father"

"Yeah I did. Do you find it sad that I've been carrying them around in my jacket pocket all day?"

Mac shook his head and handed her a photo that he always kept close by on his desk.

"I still have pictures of my horse Captain from when I was in my teens. I won't judge you if you don't judge me."

Lindsay smiled and pulled an envelope out from her jacket and handed it to Mac. He opened it and flicked through the pictures carefully.

"She really is beautiful."

"They were both abandoned and an animal shelter found them"

"Well, they did a good job on them, that's for sure."

"I just find it hard to believe that Danny found me a horse all by himself"

"What do you mean?"

"He's a city boy Mac, a big time city boy. How in the world did he know what to look for?"

Mac cleared his throat.

"I may have played a hand in that. Accidently of course."

"Huh?"

"About six months ago, Danny asked me for your parent's number. He didn't explain why and I didn't ask"

"So he called my dad and got advice. Ok that clears things up completely. It also means that I should be panicking about now"

"Why?"

"He spoke to my father. When I say that my father is overprotective and a bit of a traditionalist, it is an understatement. This is a man who, when my prom date stood me up, he lassoed him, hog-tied him and gave him a lecture on how to treat a woman."

Mac laughed. He couldn't help it.

"It's not funny Mac! How do I explain this to my father?"

"I'm fairly certain that at some point Danny would have explained the whole thing to him"

Lindsay sank back into her seat, her face in her hands.

"I knew this was going to get complicated."

"You guys have been together for a while. I would have thought it was already complicated enough"

"Surprisingly, no. I mean we've worked together long enough to know each other fairly well, so little or no surprises. I was kind of hoping the parent thing could wait."

"It would have happened at some point, a little bit like me finding out"

Lindsay offered him a sad smile.

"I wanted to tell you but we figured that if you didn't mention it, neither would we."

"Denial in action"

"Exactly. Ignorance is bliss and all that"

"Well I believe that the bliss has ended."

"You can say that again"

* * *

Lindsay managed to cut a few hours off her shift so that she could get home early and make Danny dinner. She also really wanted to talk to him about her father, before she got a call from the man himself. She found it a little odd that all the times that she had talked to her father since Danny had called and he had said nothing. Normally he didn't enquire about her personal life like that but that fact that her Dad knew and said nothing annoyed her a little. She would have preferred a bit of a heads up that the two men in her life were communicating without her knowledge. Then again, the fact that her father hadn't called simply to knock down Danny was a good sign. It meant that on some level, her Dad liked him. She wrestled with her shopping, trying to find her keys which always got buried at the bottom of her handbag when her hands were full. She found them and opened the door, quickly dumping the bags on the counter. She turned on some music and checked the answering machine. There were three missed calls, all hang-ups. She didn't recognize the number so she erased them. She'd ask Danny about those later. She had just started chopping onion when the phone rang. She picked it up but as soon as she said hello, the caller hung up. Lindsay put the phone back on the cradle and resumed her chopping. Twenty minutes later, another phone call came along with another hang up. An hour later, two more. She was determined not to freak out. She had convinced herself that if one more came she would call Danny, until then, she would do nothing. After an hour, nothing happened so she decided to have a shower.

* * *

Danny was looking forward to dinner. Lindsay didn't say what she would be making but he knew that when she put her mind to it, she was a hell of a cook. The first thing he noticed when he got to her apartment was the incredibly thin puff of smoke emerging from under her door. He quickly unlocked the door and pushed his way inside. The smoke was thick and the moment he opened the door, the fire alarms in the outside passage started going off. For a moment he wondered why Lindsay's hadn't but he ignored the question.

"Lindsay!"

The lights were still on but he could see hardly anything through the smoke. He dropped low on the floor and made his way from one room to the other, trying desperately to find her but he couldn't.

"LINDSAY!"

He heard the fire engines downstairs and for a moment he was tempted to stay but knew that he couldn't. He made his way back out of the apartment and ran downstairs.

* * *

As soon as the emergency crew had done there thing, Danny made his way back into the apartment, this time with Stella, Mac and Flack in tow. Lindsay was missing. Though the apartment was smoke damaged the only really fire had come from inside the over, which was easily contained. She had been home long enough to prepare dinner and turn it on.

"She had a shower"

Danny followed Stella's voice into the bathroom. The clothes that Lindsay had been wearing at work that night were heaped in the corner of the bathroom.

"She's been kidnapped"

"Danny we can't jump to conclusions"

"I know that the fire crew have been through here but what part of this does not scream abduction?"

Mac had to agree with Danny, though he wasn't willing to admit it at this point. The apartment had been overturned but it seemed to be from something far more sinister then this fire. The bedroom for one had overturned lamps, clothes and make-up. The living room held much the same mess.

"Mac?"

"Hmm?"

"I think I just found blood"

Danny waited impatiently as Stella tested to see if the blood was human even though he already knew.

"It's human"

"We'll find her Danny"

"I know. The question is, where the hell do we start?"

* * *

Lindsay woke up to find herself bound to a chair. There were hospital style patches connected to her hands, legs and chest.

"Lindsay Monroe"

"Who the hell are you and how the hell did you get into my apartment?"

The man shook his head and Lindsay made herself concentrate. She needed to remember this guy. He was about the same height as Danny, thin with a seriously receding hairline and a dire need to visit a dentist.

"More about that later. You and I have someone in common. In fact with have many people in common"

"I have no idea what you are talking about"

"Danny Messer and all his merry friends at the crime lab"

"What does that have to do with me?"

"There is a reason I targeted Danny and not say Stella for example."

"Why?"

"Because you have made him happy. I don't want any of them to be happy."

"If they got you once, they will get you again"

"But first I'll go out with a bang. Let's have some fun shall we?"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three - Results May Vary

Breathe in and out, in and out. It had been a long time since Danny needed this reminder simply to move through his life. With Lindsay missing, finding his breath was harder. It reminded him of the days of his childhood when he would fall hard on the ground and for a moment, he could not breathe. Except that this situation would not fix itself in seconds. The situation may never right itself at all. He may never see Lindsay alive again. Mac had sent him home, he was just getting in the way, he was aware of that. It took all his physical strength not to let loose on Mac, to refuse to leave. But he knew that in the grander scale, he was not being any kind of help. So Mac had assigned him the one task that he didn't want to do: call Lindsay's family and tell them what had happened. It took two hours and countless false starts before he finally picked up the phone, dialed and didn't hang up. He listened to the rings, urging it to switch to the machine. Instead, a deep voice flowed through the phone line and Danny's heart almost stopped.

"Monroe residents"

Danny sat down in the closest chair before he answered. It felt odd to put his body in his own kitchen chair. He was so used to Lindsay's that they felt too hard, too foreign.

"Mr. Monroe, Danny Messer here"

Instantly the deep baritone softened slightly.

"Danny, how are you? Did Lindsay like her horse? I haven't heard from her yet."

Danny took a deep breathe, trying to fill the cavity where his lungs used to be.

"Mr. Monroe, there's a situation that I have been asked to make you aware of"

"What situation is that Son?"

"Lindsay's missing"

A long horrible silence fell and Danny almost thought that Mr. Monroe had dropped the phone. Then he heard the quiet sobs of the proud man. Danny waited patiently, once again reminding himself to breathe. Eventually the sobs were silenced and Mr. Monroe's voice again filled the line, still crackling from the tears.

"What happened to her?"

"We're not certain Sir but my team are investigating as we speak"

"Danny, I don't want that polite bullshit. Tell me exactly what happened"

"She went home early and when I got there, her apartment was on fire. They took her while she was making me dinner."

"How long has she been missing?"

"Almost two days now Sir"

"Why wasn't I called sooner?"

"We were so wrapped up in finding her that in all honesty, we forgot"

"Fair enough. I'll be there in the next few hours."

"Sir, you don't – "

"She is my daughter. I will do as I please. Do you have a cellphone?"

"Yes Sir"

"Give me the number. I will call you as soon as I find a flight. I may need you to pick me up from the airport."

Danny did as he was told, reciting his number in an almost trance like state. Mr. Monroe confirmed the number before hanging up the phone. Danny laid the phone softly on the cradle and waited for Mr. Monroe to call him back. That's all he could do. He continued to remind himself to breathe as he watched his phone blink its sleepy rhythm.

* * *

Mac watched as the team, whipped into a flurry over the disappearance of Lindsay, fluttered to and fro, trying to find a reason that she was taken. He couldn't afford to do that. He had to remain calm and in control. If not for his own sake then for Lindsay's. He was doing what the others were doing; going through old case files, hoping that something would come up. Hoping against hope that a lead would fall cleanly onto their laps. The last thing he expected to see when he looked up from the files was Danny leaning against the door frame, looking far older then he should.

"I thought I sent you home"

"You did. I couldn't stay there doing nothing"

"Did you call Lindsay's parents?"

"Yeah. Her dad is flying in at 3am. I have five more hours to kill before I need to be at the airport to pick him up."

Danny slid further into the office and sunk into the chair opposite Mac, his body seemingly unable to support itself. He leaned forward and grasped a couple of the files, placing them on his lap, silently flicking through them. After a few moments he raised his head.

"Aren't you going to tell me that she'll be ok?"

Mac looked up from his own file and studied Danny.

"I didn't think you would want me to cut that crap on you"

"I do"

Mac took a deep breathe before speaking, meaning every word.

"She's going to be fine Danny. Stay positive."

Danny nodded once before lowering his head to continue his reading. After ten minutes, he put the file back onto the desk and started the next one. There were hundreds of cases that Lindsay had worked on during her time at the lab and there were hundreds of criminals that would want revenge for being caught. There were hundreds of reasons why she would have been taken. It was finding that one that they were having so much trouble with. Mac heard the commotion before Danny did. He could hear Stella's voice and he knew that something was up. She sounded pissed off. Before he could move from his seat, silence had fallen once again. It wasn't long before he saw Stella stalking down the hall, her hand wrapped tightly around Flack's elbow. She walked into Mac's office, her face a storm cloud, Flack's pulled into a frown. She released his elbow long enough to give him a hard shove towards Mac's desk.

"Tell him"

Mac studied the pair before speaking. He rarely saw Stella in such a rage.

"Tell me what?"

When Flack said nothing, Stella stepped forward, her voice hard.

"He knows who took Lindsay"

Mac raised an eyebrow.

"You do?"

"Yes"

Mac stood intending to move between Flack and Danny. Stella saw his shift and his intention and moved between them herself.

"Why didn't you come to me earlier?"

"It was a matter of national security. The FBI is involved and telling you would have risked the case and the lab."

Danny was up in a second, fists clenched, eyes flashing.

"Fuck the FBI. You are meant to be on our side."

Flack turned to Danny, Stella now firmly sandwiched between them.

"I am on your side. I was protecting the lab"

"Well done Champ. You did a fucken great job then, didn't you?"

Mac held up his hands.

"Ok, everyone needs to calm down. Danny, sit back down"

Danny continued to glare at Flack. Stella turned to face Danny and gently pushed him back into the chair. Mac turned his attention back to Flack.

"What exactly do you know?"

Flack looked at Stella who handed Mac a folder that he never noticed that she even had in her hand. He took it and glanced through it and felt the anger rising in his chest.

"You failed to tell us that Matthew Clarke had gotten out of prison?"

"As I said, the FBI was involved. I was in no position to tell anyone."

"Lindsay has been gone for almost two days. Why didn't you tell us earlier?"

"I just got clearance."

Mac nodded slightly.

"You finally got clearance to tell us that one of our team may have been kidnapped by a guy that tortures his victims and then dismembers them?"

Flack said nothing, did nothing to react to Mac's words. Silence fell as he tried to absorb the reality of what would happen if Clarke had Lindsey. Her survival would depend entirely on how well she could endure pain. Mac glanced at Danny before looking back at Flack.

"You need to leave."

Flack didn't move fast enough. Danny pushed himself out of his seat and flung himself at Flack. He swung out quickly, catching Flack in the jaw. He went to swing again but Stella pushing herself between them made him pause. Her voice was low.

"Flack, you need to leave. NOW!"

Flack skirted quickly from the room, holding his jaw. Danny was breathing heavily, his fist still raised. Stella placed her hand over his and pulled gently, Danny offering no resistance.

"Do you really think that Clarke has her? He doesn't even know her"

Mac shook his head, glancing at the file again.

"That's not the point Danny. Don't you remember what he said when he was arrested?"

Mac waited as Danny thought back two years. The case had been a huge one, multiple victims, multiple states and one single man that caused all the carnage. The lab had busted the case open and got him arrested when he screwed up on his second to last victim.

"He said he would wait until we were happy before he struck"

"And who would you say is happiest out of all the team?"

"Lindsay and me."

"Exactly. The more obvious target would be you but for some reason he picked Lindsay."

Danny exhaled slowly, the blood draining from his face.

"We all saw the pictures Mac. We know what he could do to her."

"Which is why we are going to track him down"

"How?"

"We'll start with the address that they have for where he went to live. Then we'll take it from there."

Danny nodded and stood slowly.

"I need to pick up Lindsay's father."

"Danny, you still have a while before you have to do that"

"I need to go"

Stella passed a silent look to Mac but he shook his head. He trusted Danny enough to know that he would not lash out if he saw Flack again. He just hoped that Flack had the good sense to leave the building. Judging by the way he felt, Mac was liable to hit him too if he ran into him tonight.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four - I Just Want Back In Your Head

Lindsay had never known such pain. She quickly realized that the pads that had been connected to her chest, legs and arms were linked to a car battery. The man, her kidnapper, was sending low voltage electric shots through her body. And as she shook and quivered on the seat, her body humming with pain, she wanted to kill him. She idly thoughts of ways to do it and only the pain distracted her from those thoughts. She knew it was hopeless, that she would have to wait for rescue. When he finally ceased the current, she fought her chattering teeth to ask a question.

"Who are you?"

The man smiled widely and Lindsay felt a wave of revulsion.

"You don't remember me? You hadn't gotten here at that point I believe. I'm Matthew Clark."

Lindsay felt as if she had been punched in the stomach. Her brain clicked through the mental images associated with that name and knew within seconds her fate if she was not rescued. He would torture her as long as she could survive, possibly even reviving her just to keep the game going before raping her and dismembering her corpse. They would find her in scattered pieces all over NY. Then the thing that made her Danny's Montana came through and she knew that if this was it for her, she wasn't going down without a fight. Matthew Clark will remember her as much as she would remember him.

"Why me?"

"I told you, you were happy with Danny. I promised that I would strike back when he was happy"

Lindsay gritted her teeth.

"It was you on the phone"

"And it was me following you in the supermarket. I know you felt something but you brushed it off. I've been watching you for a while now."

Matthew gave another wide smile before flicking the switch which sent Lindsay back into the world of pain.

* * *

The drive to the airport was the longest in Danny's life. His thoughts were with Lindsay the entire way. And his mind wondered where he didn't want it to go; to the reality of the situation before him. If he took out the fact it was Lindsay, pretending for a moment it was just another victim, another face to a person that he would never know in life, the number's were up. Matthew Clark was not known for leaving his victims alive. The torture that the other victim's endured was horrendous, the bodies were images that took him months to shake. He knew that Lindsay had to live. Danny Messer had never been an overly sensitive man, had never been a man that wore his heart on his sleeve. His life had always consisted of work and the occasional conquest, the only thing that varied was the cases that the violence in the city bought him. He would have laughed in the face of the person that told him that he would meet Lindsay and everything that he was would become redundant. He loved her and was never afraid to say it. She made everything that he hated about himself better and she made the good things even more impressive. She dragged out a side of him that he never knew that he had. As dumb and as overly romantic as it was to say, she completed him in a way that he never knew possible. The idea of her not being in his world was something that he didn't want to imagine. She had to live because if she didn't, he would die too. He finally got to the airport, dragging his way through to arrivals and waited. It wasn't long before Mr. Monroe appeared, complete with a battered cowboy hat. In a move that surprised Danny, Mr. Monroe pulled him into a tight hug and for a moment, Danny almost broke down. For some reason the smell of hay and horses made him think of Lindsay. Mr. Monroe cleared his throat and pulled away, a strong hand still gripping Danny's shoulder.

"I have just one suitcase."

Danny nodded, not trusting himself to speak just yet. They moved their way across the airport to pick up the suitcase, Mr. Monroe allowing him to carry it to the car for him. It was only when they were on the highway that Mr. Monroe finally spoke.

"Who has Lindsay?"

Danny shook his head, his hand scraping the stubble on his chin.

"With all do respect Sir, you don't want to know that part of things. The knowledge is killing me and I would hate to think what it would do to you"

"I want to know Son. And you will tell me. You owe me at least that"

Danny paused, thinking about the wisdom of letting this man know the fact that his daughter may face.

"His name is Matthew Clark. My team and I arrested him a few years ago before hand. He tortured, raped and dismembered his victims. He always vowed revenge but we didn't take him seriously, most criminals say that"

"Now he has Lindsay?"

"We believe so, yes Sir. He's the logical choice."

Mr. Monroe nodded and glanced at the window, his voice soft when he spoke again.

"Her dreams were always too big for Montana. She wanted to change the world, always wanted to catch the bad guys that made the world unsafe. I didn't take her dreams seriously until she was almost finished with college. After what happened to her when she was a child, with the murder of her friends, I always thought that that would push her into a normal life. Something to do with horses or owning a store. Something normal, something safe. But I was wrong. What happened to her friends made her angry and it was that anger that drove her to finding this life, this career."

Danny cleared his throat unsure of what to say. Mr. Monroe's gentle musings didn't leave much room for answers.

"She's great at her job Sir. The best"

Mr. Monroe nodded, his face still turned to the window.

"Oh I know. I collect every article that has to do with her or her team. My walls and fridge are littered with articles about you CSI's. And when she calls me, she's like a child at Christmas. Yabbering on about latent fibres, trace evidence and bullet fragments. Every time I talk to her, I keep my laptop close by just so I know what she's saying"

Danny had to smile at that comment. He had seen Lindsay get excited about evidence, had seen the yabbering factor get incredibly high as she verbally tried to process what her brain had already achieved.

"Don't worry Sir, she does that to me all the time"

"I don't want you to think badly of me Danny. I love my daughter with all my heart and all I want as a father is for her to be safe. This is not the life I wanted for her. But I also know in my heart that this job is part of who she is. It just kills me that it has put her in so much danger."

Danny cleared his throat, fighting back tears. He brushed his eyes roughly with his hand.

"Sir, I know you don't know me or my team that well but I can promise you one thing; my team will not rest until Lindsay is home safe and Matthew Clark is dead or behind bars."

Mr. Monroe nodded.

"Good. And I'll correct you on one point Son. I do know you, better then you think. I may be Lindsay's family in Montana but you are her family here. I feel like I have known you all for as long as she has"

Danny offered another small smile.

"So she talks about us huh?"

"Yeah she does. Chatters on like no ones business. That's how I knew that she loved you"

Danny felt like he had been slapped. He knew that Lindsay loved him but the development had only happened in the last few months.

"When did she tell you that?"

"I'm her father, she didn't have too. As soon as she mentioned you it grew from there. Most conversations we had started with something you had done. She even cried when she was unsure what she was meant to do with the feelings she had for you"

"And you told her what?"

"That if you hurt her that I would kill you. Then I told her that she was wiser then she realized and she should follow her heart. And I know that you love her too."

Danny had paused the car at the lights and was finally able to turn to Mr. Monroe and look at him properly. The big tough man had tears in his eyes and tracks down his cheeks.

"How did you know?"

"You gave yourself away when we first talked. And then again when you called me to tell me she was missing and once again as I look at your face now. You're heart is breaking like mine"

Danny nodded and Mr. Monroe leant over and gripped his shoulder again.

"We need to be strong for Lindsay. If she finds out that we were crying and musing like little old ladies over her-"

"She would kick both our butts."

Mr. Monroe nodded with a small smile.

"Exactly. So Son, where are we headed?"

Danny cleared his throat an concentrated on driving again.

"I'm going to drop you off at my place and then - "

"No"

Danny glanced at Mr Monroe.

"Sir?"

Mr. Monroe looked at Danny, his face hard.

"I'm trailing you on this one Son. I'm coming with you to the lab"

* * *

Danny wasn't sure how his new shadow would go down with the rest of the team but he knew where Mr. Monroe was coming from. Danny knew that there was nothing that they could do but they still wanted to be there regardless. Mr. Monroe lead the charge, knocking briskly on Mac's door before entering.

"Mac Taylor, I'm Samuel Monroe. It is an honour to finally meet you"

Mac glanced over Mr. Monroe's shoulder to Danny but all he did was shrug. Mac turned his focus back to Mr. Monroe, shaking the older man's hand firmly.

"I wish we could be finally meeting under better circumstances."

Mr. Monroe nodded once before taking off his hat and sitting in a chair across from Mac.

"Just so that we clear, I made Danny bring me here He's not to blame, I am"

Mac nodded slightly.

"Ok but why?"

Mr. Monroe played with his hat, spinning it slowly on his finger.

" I know that there is nothing I can do, nothing I can offer but I need to know everything that is happening with Lindsay. She is my daughter and I want to know the truth, regardless of how ugly or horrid."

Mac nodded slowly as he took his seat, glancing between Danny and Mr. Monroe. Whatever he was planning to say was interrupted with the appearance of Stella ,who paused at the door, looking to Mac for answers.

"Stella, this is Mr. Monroe, Lindsay's father"

Mr. Monroe moved out of his seat and grasped a surprised Stella in a hug.

"Stella, such a pleasure to meet you. My daughter is a huge fan of yours."

Stella laughed slightly, giving the older man a smile.

"We're big fans of hers as well. We'll find her Mr. Monroe"

Stella handed a file to Mac, her face back to a frown.

"I can't find Clark. The only person who has any kind of lead as to where he is is Malcolm Jones but he's not talking."

"Do we know why?"

"I'm presuming that he's been threatened. He's kind of reformed himself and he's got a family now."

"We need to talk to him"

"I know. But I think our best move he is to give him protection, get his family out and then make a move. Most of the people joined with Matthew Clark are in jail but there are still a few around. There is a real danger there, Jones isn't just being paranoid."

Mac flicked through the file quickly, freezing when Flack, of all people, entered his office. It was the last thing that they needed. Not only was Danny there but also Mr. Monroe, two of the last people on earth that Flack needed to run into. Flack didn't pay much attention to anyone as he moved further into the office, file in hand.

"You need to contact Matthew Jones."

Mac ignored the file with a stiff nod.

"I know. Stella just told me"

Flack frowned.

"Ok. I'll get right onto that then, shall I?"

Flack turned and was faced with Danny, who had moved from the corner of the room. His eyes were narrowed, his jaw clenched and his fists in tight circles at his side. Stella made a move to separate them but Mr. Monroe was faster. He slipped between the two men, facing Danny, he put a hand on his shoulder.

"Sit down Danny"

Danny moved forward again and Mr. Monroe pushed him back firmly. After a quick glance in the older man's direction, Danny nodded slightly and sat in the seat that Mr. Monroe had vacated. Mr. Monroe then turned to Flack.

"You must be Detective Flack."

Flack frowned.

"You know who I am, who are you?"

Mr. Monroe offered out his hand.

"Mr. Monroe, Lindsay's father"

Flack opened and closed his mouth, glancing at Mac before looking again at Mr. Monroe.

"Did they tell you everything?"

Mr. Monroe studied Flack, his face hard.

"They haven't told me anything but you just did. You had something to do with this"

Flack said nothing. Stella had moved around the men and stood beside Danny, a hand on his shoulder, keeping him in his seat. Violence and anger would not bring Lindsay back and she knew that any move that Danny made now he would have to live wit. And she knew Danny well enough to know that if he hurt Flack, he would regret it. Mr. Monroe moved closer to Flack.

"Danny is angry with you. From what I know of this cowboy, not a lot gets under his skin. If Lindsay doesn't make it home, I'm not going to stop him from hurting you. In fact, I'll join him. Got it?"

Flack nodded.

"Yes Sir"

Mr. Monroe turned back to Mac, his face hard.

"So what's the next move?"

* * *

When Lindsay woke up, for a moment she forgot what had happened. For a few seconds she moved slightly waiting for her body to make contact with Danny, the way it had every morning for months. It was then that she remembered. She shifted her body, finding her arms bound, a piece of tape over her mouth, laying on her side, her face pressed into a mattress. Her body ached from the electric shocks but she was mainly cold. When Clark had taken her, she had just gotten out of the shower, dressed in nothing but her underwear and thin robe. Wherever he had her, it was cold. She finally opened her eyes and was faced with darkness. She couldn't really see anything. There was a small strip of light coming from under the door. She could hear movement on the other side, disembodied voices that she couldn't make out. She wondered what her team was doing, she wondered if they knew where she was. She hoped Danny was ok and not doing anything stupid or Messer like. She knew what he could like when he was upset. Her thoughts froze when the door opened, the light blinding her for a moment. Then Clark stepped through the door, another man behind him.

"Hello Lindsay, glad to see you with us again. I thought you had died for a moment there but you surprised me with your will to live."

Clark stepped aside, letting the other man moved forward more. The man approached Lindsay and she instinctively tried to back away but there was nowhere for her to go. The man smelt like cigarettes and whiskey. He wasn't as tall as Clark, his face thick with a beard, a tattoo creeping up his neck, his thick lips pulled back in a smile. His hand moved closer, brushing some strands of hair off her face. His hand was hot against her cold skin.

"This is Angelo Jonas, a colleague of mine."

Lindsay whimpered trying to get some sort of sympathy from Jonas but the only response she got was a wider smile.

"Jonas here has done me some good turns over the years and I wanted to return the favour. So Jonas, Miss Monroe here is all yours. When you're done with your fun, I'll get rid of her."

Lindsay's fought against the bonds, her wrists rubbing painfully together but to no avail. Jonas moved closer to her, his hand running down her arm and sitting on her hip. She shivered against his touch, pulling her body away from him.

"Such a pretty wee thing."

Jonas's voice was rough and cold. Clark moved forward and clapped him hard on the shoulder.

"Enjoy you gift my friend. "

Clark turned on his heel and headed back to the door, pausing to flick on the light. Lindsay squeezed her eyes shut against the blinding pain. She pressed her body further over the bed but had nowhere to go as she found herself up against the wall. Jonas moved closer still, coming to sit on the bed with her. He began running his hands over her body, pushing the robe roughly aside.


End file.
